We’ve got two new exhibits in The Art League Gallery today: a photography exhibit that will change the way you look at the human figure, and a colorful group exhibit to drive away your winter blues — unless you’re looking for blues, in which case we’ve got you covered, too.
“The Cocoon Series,” by photographer E.E. McCollum, was featured in Northern Virginia Magazine’s March issue, which said “McCollum distorts the human body, challenging the way we see the nude form.”
The photographs in “The Cocoon Series” transform the subjects with a stretchy nylon “body cocoon,” creating new surfaces, shapes, and spaces from single and paired models.
15 of his prints from the series, taken over three years, have been installed, along with banners of fabric that bring the ethereal mood from the photographs into the solo gallery.
With “ColorField,” the Gallery continues its year-long retrospective celebrating The Art League’s 60th anniversary. Our artists, and juror Timothy App, drew on the Color Field artists and the Washington Color School for inspiration. Color itself is the subject:
Pictures at at Exhibition by Susan Osterberg and Out of the Blue by Valentine Szybko.
The Art League has historical connections to the Washington Color School through past instructors Gene Davis, Paul Reed, Leon Berkowitz, Lou Stovall, and Sam Gilliam. The Gallery will be hosting two speakers — Joyce McCarten and juror Timothy App — to discuss that group and the larger Color Field movement. For details on these free talks, see our special events page.
To meet the artists behind “ColorField” and “The Cocoon Series,” join us tonight at 6:30 for the opening reception!
Color Blocking, acrylic/mixed media by Octavia Frazier, awarded the Evelyn Turner AwardHarmonies in Pinks and Blue, acrylic by Linda Lowery, won the Juror’s Choice award.The mixed-media Red Lights Construction won the Adam Wishnow Award for Creativity and Innovation.Art League instructor Joyce McCarten lent the Gallery Pretoria by her late husband, Washington Color School painter Donald McCarten, for display during the ColorField exhibit.
Louix XVI’s Oranges by pastel instructor Joe Spollen
One of the most frequently asked questions at The Art League School is “what class is good for beginners”?
The answer is, quite a few classes and workshops are appropriate for the beginning artist. But we also offer one- and two-day workshops designed to introduce new techniques to beginners (or experienced artists who want to try something new). We call them Jumpstarts, and there are quite a few coming up this Spring:
Spring’s the perfect time to start something new! Sign up using the links above, or take a look at these PDF brochures of all our workshops in March and April.
“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.”
— Steven Pressfield
Seed pack commissions
Deadline: March 19. Each spring, the Hudson Valley Seed Library commissions artists to create original works of art to illustrate their heirloom seed packs. Artists should submit two images (not necessarily garden-related) that best represent their style. Read the full call to artists →
Photography competition
Deadline: March 20. The Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) invites all artists residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico to enter its 4th annual Focal Point, an open-juried all photography competition. Following exhibition guidelines, any 2-D or 3-D work created in any form of photography will be considered. More on the competition →
Torpedo Factory jury
Receiving: Monday, March 24. This is the annual jury process to become a member of the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association. On the first day of the Annual Jury, applicants bring five pieces of their artwork plus a CD with images of 10-20 additional works, completed application, and a $75.00 fee to the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association. The work will be juried over the second and third days. More on the jury process →
Call for sculptors
Deadline: March 30. For “Gedankenexperiment,” presented by the Washington Sculptors Group and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, applicants will consider some scientific/mathematical theory, hypothesis, or principle as their inspiration and externalize these thought experiments in a sculptural expression. Non-traditional ideas and broad interpretations of “Gedankenexperiment” are encouraged. Audio-visual and Performance Art will be considered with the understanding that the artist will supply all his/her own equipment. Entry is restricted to WSG members — non-members can join by paying annual dues of $45. Read the full call to artists →
Mayhem
Deadline: March 31. For this exhibit at Gallery Underground in Crystal City, artists should depict the theme “Mayhem” visually. The juror is Mark Cameron Boyd, and the exhibit benefits the Arlington Artists Alliance. More on the exhibit →
Sculpture conference
Deadline: April 11. Call for Panels: The International Sculpture Center is seeking a diverse and comprehensive program, covering topics relevant to sculpture today, at the 24th International Sculpture Conference: Sculpture, Culture, and Community in New Orleans, LA from October 1–4, 2014. More on the conference →
Transformations
Deadline: April 12. Entry to “Transformations” at the McLean Project for the Arts is open to all Mid-Atlantic artists (DC, VA, MD, PA, NJ, DE, WV). The journey from one thing or state to another can be explored or demonstrated through any technique, approach or medium, conceptually and/or formally. Read the full prospectus (PDF) →
Are you thinking about going to art school but wondering how to pay for those four years? Do you have questions about applying for financial aid?
The Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) is hosting a financial aid night in The Art League Gallery on Wednesday, March 12, 7:00–9:00 pm. CIA’s Director of Financial Aid, Martin Carney, will present information about the financial aid process, talk about available scholarships, grants, and loans, and answer personal questions. There will also be a presentation about student life and housing.
This seminar is geared toward students interested in applying to the Cleveland Institute of Art. Students who attend the seminar at The Art League can waive the $30 application fee if they apply to CIA by contacting Pita Brooks, [email protected] for a waiver code.
Some of the artwork in “Emerge” (click for full size)
How do painters create the puddled, cracked, and impasto effects in the paintings above? The answer was the subject of a Winter class at The Art League, and you can see the results in a new exhibit.
“Emerge” features work by the students and instructor in Marsha Staiger’s class Emerge: Advanced Acrylic/Mixed Media, and it’s on view through March 30 in Site 2 and Site 3 Galleries here at the Torpedo Factory (find them by the elevators on the second and third floor).
This class covers different topics each term: elements and principles in the Fall, series work in the Spring, and in the Winter, they covered gels and mediums — the mix-in ingredients that make acrylic paint so versatile:
“Our group of 22 students ventured into the world of Golden Paint, a familiar place for the class but with added interest in the adaptability and interaction of mediums; gels; pastes; high flows; fluids; heavy bodies; and open, interference, and iridescent acrylics. All of these are mixable and layerable with a variety of drying times and general tendencies to stay put, mingle, pool, puddle or pour. This exhibition has been installed, created, heralded, and festooned by the students as an interactive and educational experience.”
Regulars will remember the sculptures at right and below from two Art League exhibits in 2013 — the Student/Faculty Show and “Shapes.” George was invited to exhibit them in two upcoming shows in Italy.
Romantic Allusions, left, will be at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna Giuseppe Sciortino) for the Trinacria Award exhibit, March 15 to 31. The museum is in the cathedral in Monreale, Italy, near Palermo. Hello! My Name is Jujuna is part of the Triennial Exhibition of Visual Arts in Rome, June 6 to 13.
George is headed to Sicily soon for the opening of the exhibit in Monreale. Congratulazioni, George!
It comes but once every two years, and in a few days it’ll be gone again: the 15th Biennial Ikebana Exhibit is here!
This brief, popular exhibit combines the Japanese art of flower arranging with artwork from Art League and Torpedo Factory artists. You can hear two of the Ikebana artists from the Sogetsu School of DC discuss their art in the video above.
As part of the show, there are two free events this weekend in the Gallery:
Washington Toho Koto Ensemble performance: Saturday, March 8, 2:00 pm
Flower Arranging Demonstration: Sunday, March 9, 2:00 pm
Ikebana and ceramics artist Carla Amerau creates her arrangement inspired by Susan Finsen’s painting, Croquet 3. Carla created several of the vessels used in this exhibit, including this one, Circles & Squares, which she created to go with this painting.
For watercolorists with a little experience and a willingness to take risks, there’s a workshop coming up next month on the technique of glazing. We asked the instructor, Rachel Collins, to tell us what glazing is, what you can do with it, and how the workshop works.
What is glazing?
Rachel Collins: Glazing is the process of putting one layer of transparent paint over top of a first layer that has already dried, so that it remains undisturbed by the wetness of the paint going on over top. The result is a change in the hue and/or value of the area being glazed, but often a relatively subtle change, as what is underneath is not covered over completely. All media with paints that can be rendered reasonably transparent by thinning them out have glazing possibilities. It is wonderfully suited to watercolor, which of course is inherently quite transparent.
The trick in watercolor is learning which paints glaze most successfully, which paints make good underpaintings, and how to apply the glaze so that the underpainting remains undisturbed.
What can I do with glazing?
Glazing provides an excellent way to darken colors, alter their hues, ease color transitions, and bring color unity to a painting. It is a rare watercolor painting that does not have at least some glazing on it, as any layering of paint over an area that has dried already can be considered glazing. But there are certain kinds of painting in watercolor that are totally geared to the ability to layer the paint, and it is some of these that we will be exploring.
Leaves and Shadows by Rachel Collins. (click for full size)
Some watercolor artists tend to define wet-in-wet watercolor and glazing watercolor as two totally separate and opposed approaches to the medium. I tend to see them as complementary, and love glazing because it gives me a second chance to get things right and make them more exciting!
What experience do I need?
Students with at least a little experience will benefit most from this workshop. The experience need not be extensive, but it really helps to have painted enough that you can really see how glazing can solve some of the painting problems we encounter every day!
What is the workshop schedule like?
I aim to have everyone painting as much as possible during the hours we have together. I talk and demonstrate enough to get processes and techniques well-explained, but no amount of talking or demonstrating by me can substitute for the actual experience of the joys and pitfalls of working in watercolor, and watching the transformations that take place!
We address the mechanics of glazing first, and do a project that helps us understand our brush and paint handling better.
Then we move into two projects where glazing is an absolutely essential component: a negative space project and then a project involving a well-developed underpainting, which then has glazes applied on top.
Mini-demonstrations and critiques happen throughout the workshop, sometimes for individuals, sometimes for small groups, and sometimes for everyone, depending on the need.
Hawthorn and Pine by Rachel Collins. (click for full size)
The development of technical facility with glazing is important, but the most important element is the development of the confidence that comes from understanding how glazing works and that glazing gives you multiple opportunities to create excitement in your work! Emphasis is always on the process, and what you can take away from your experience in the class. If you end up with a painting or a part of a painting that you are happy with, then you are among the fortunate! You probably will have a few glorious “failures” as well! I like to reassure everyone in class that I personally have never produced anything in a class or workshop that could really be deemed a success. I have to go away and work on my own, wrestle a bit with all the new information, and then figure out how to incorporate it into the kind of work I want to do. With this kind of practice, you learn to trust the process, and that it will lead you to some surprising experiences and eventually to a degree of ease with and mastery of the medium.
And to top it all off, working with watercolor in a concentrated way, like you do in a workshop, is always an amazing amount of fun! It is the medium that moves, and gives unexpected gifts!
This untitled painting by Michelle Simoneau won the Jennie Lea Knight Award. Michelle was a student in Beverly Ryan’s class, Abstract in Oil and Acrylic. (click for full size)
Longtime Art League student Michelle Simoneau says Beverly Ryan’s class, “Abstract in Oil or Acrylic,” has helped her focus on being more experimental and less critical. It’s also where she created the painting above, which won the Jennie Lea Knight Award in the just-finished Student/Faculty Show.
The artist told us more about the class and her painting career in our final Q&A from this exhibit:
Why did you choose this piece to submit for the student show?
Michelle Simoneau: I chose that piece because the large figure is one of the most recurrent themes in my work, and as such, this particular piece was a good representation of what I do.
What techniques, lessons, principles, etc., from the Abstract in Oil or Acrylic class can we see in this painting?
In relation to the techniques employed, this is certainly a good example of a multi-layered piece that included several deconstruction and rebuilding phases. This class has been very useful in many different ways but what has been most valuable is that my focus shifted from the end product to the experimental act, which made me more audacious and less critical.
What was your inspiration or motive for this painting? What different media did you use?
It started with the drawing of a model. I then attempted to transform it into a sculpture using other means than the rules of perspective.
There are several layers of paper interspaced by drawings and paint. Each layer was altered or partly removed to create an impression of depth, somewhat akin to a relief. Of course color was also instrumental in creating the effect.
Why are you a painter? Have you worked in other media as well?
I like this medium for its flexibility, its range in terms of colors and possibilities. I also paint in oils, and particularly like the sensuality of that medium, its texture, its odor, and the fact that you can play with it for a long time before it dries. In the past, I worked with dry pastels a few years.
How long have you been taking art classes?
I have been taking classes intermittently for the past 30 years or so, and at The Art League for the past 10 years if I’m not mistaken.
What drew you to abstraction?
A desire to explore and create with as little boundaries as possible.
What are you working on now? Are you taking any classes or planning on taking more?
I am exploring the combination of various materials on pieces that are more abstract, but that paradoxically represent scenes. Yes, I am currently taking classes and I plan to continue as I believe it is important to communicate with other painters and get feedback.
With the piles of snow on the ground, it seems like spring will never make its way to DC. But spring is in full bloom at The Art League Gallery this weekend during the 15th Biennial Ikebana Show.
A Sogetsu arranger putting the finishing touches on her piece, 2012
The 2012 Ikebana Show
Ikebana, 2010
The 2010 Ikebana Show
Flower Arranging Demonstration
Washington Toho Koto Players
Arrangers from the Washington, DC Sogetsu School have selected works of art by Art League and Torpedo Factory artists to serve as inspiration for their floral masterpieces, and the pairings will be on display in the Gallery March 6-9. These carefully crafted, minimalistic installations of art and nature bring a refreshing and calming energy to The Art League Gallery – especially after the visually packed Patrons’ Show and Student/Faculty Show. Events throughout the weekend include a performance by the Washington Toho Koto ensemble, and a flower arranging demonstration by a master Sogetsu arranger.
The exhibit and all events are free and open to the public, so please join us!
Walking Up From the River by instructor Susan Abbott.
This month and into April, The Art League is offering workshops for emerging and professional artists who want to learn more about marketing, taxes, framing, and more — including a free group critique and free workshop on writing an artist statement. See below for links to register!
Acrylics Demo and Free Samples (Free!)
Thursday, March 20, 1:00–3:00 pm
Liquitex representative Tony Zatzick joins us again to share about color mixing, permanence, mediums, pigment characteristics, techniques and more. This year he is featuring new acrylic spray and markers. Free samples will be available. Register here →
Art*iculation: Writing an Artist Statement (Free!)
Saturday, March 22, 1:00–3:00 pm
How do you write an effective artist statement — one that speaks from the core of your personal vision?
Join David Hazard, a professional writing coach and publishing consultant who has worked with artists for more than 25 years, helping them communicate more effectively. This event is presented free of charge. Register here →
From Amateur to Professional ($100)
Saturday, March 29, 10:00 am–4:00 pm
Instructor: Susan Abbott
This very intensive workshop demystifies the business side of being a professional artist. Students learn about building a resume, approaching galleries, organizing shows, coping with rejection, slides, publicity, marketing, taxes, and many other topics. Each participant receives a booklet of worksheets and information. Register here →
Basic Matting & Framing ($175)
Saturday & Sunday, March 29–30, 10:00 am–4:00 pm
This two-day workshop covers the fundamentals of matting and framing, excellent for artists, collectors or anyone interested in getting into the framing business. Students learn design and preservation techniques, knowledge of tools, basic and custom mats, hands-on mat cutting, mounting, and pre-cut frame assembly. A $20 materials fee, payable to instructor, covers supplies and use of tools. Register here →
Critique with Joyce McCarten (Free!)
Friday, April 4, 1:00–3:00 pm
Joyce McCarten teaches drawing and painting classes at The Art League School. As a practicing artist and member of the Torpedo Factory, her work focuses on formal issues of rhythm and movement, structure and spacial and color relationships. Art League members working in all mediums and styles are welcome to participate in a critique with Joyce McCarten at the Art League Gallery.
Limited to 10 people. Bring 1–2 pieces of artwork for critique. Register here →
Event: March 23. CRAVE is a micro-granting dinner that provides support for creative projects in the DC area. For a $15 donation attendees receive a simple, yet hearty meal and a vote. Prior to dinner, four presenters will have five minutes each to share their vision for a project they feel will benefit their community by means of creativity. CRAVE is sponsored by the Torpedo Factory Art Center and the Convergence Arts Initiative.
Deadline: March 31. This Open Call for proposals for an exhibition in the summer of 2014 is open to all artists from North America working in all visual media. Proposals for exhibitions by both individuals and groups will be considered. Our jurors this year are Mark Cameron Boyd, Schwanda Rountree and Cory Oberndorfer. More about the open call →
Re-runs: the announcements below have previously appeared here, but their deadlines still haven’t passed.
#WeTweetArt 2.0
Installation: March 9. artdc is revisiting this unique social media-connected exhibit with an open call for DC-area artists. Artists install one work each (see details for size restrictions) and discuss and share the exhibit online. The artists must be on Twitter and they all must tweet @artdc about their work in the exhibition. More about the exhibit →
ColorField
Receiving: March 10 and 11. This is The Art League’s second exhibit in our 60th anniversary series celebrating art movements of the past six decades. Artists should use the artists of the Washington Color School as inspiration, though works do not need to be abstract. Please note that receiving dates are one week later than the usual time due to the biennial Ikebana exhibit. More about the exhibit →
Reimagining Rosa Parks
Deadline: March 15, 2014. The Library at Prince George’s Community College is hosting a call for entries for the exhibit Reimagining Rosa Parks, a collaborative project between the PGCC Library and The Book Bridge Project. More about this exhibit →
The Trawick Prize
Deadline: April 7. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites eligible artists to enter The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and permanent, full-time residents of Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC. Jurors will select up to 10 finalists who will be invited to display their work in a group exhibition at Gallery B in downtown Bethesda in September 2014. More about the Trawick Prize →
Portrait competition
Deadline: April 1. ArtFields is proud to present the second annual ArtFields Portrait Contest on Saturday, May 3, 2014 from 10 AM-3 PM at The Bean Market in Lake City, SC. Twenty-four artists will have the opportunity to compete for “Best in Show” and a $1,000 cash prize by creating portraits of local farmers who will serve as models for the event. Artists at all levels from the 12 Southeastern states (AL, AK, GA, FL, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) are eligible to participate. More about the competition →
Virginia artists
Deadline: May 16. Virginia residents 18 and over are invited to submit to a juried art show presented by the Bay School Community Arts Center in Mathews, Virginia. Over $3,000 in prizes are available. More about the exhibit → (this link has been fixed if you tried to access it last week)
We have a new workshop at The Art League focused on a medium many artists are still exploring for the first time. Art on the Go … With Your iPad is coming up April 27.
The instructor, longtime Art League teacher Bobbi Pratte, sent us some images she painted on the iPad (see above and below), along with this note:
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Barbara Pratte
Subject: ipad workshop info from Bobbi Pratte
Here are three images that I created on the iPad. The first two were done on an airplane trip back from San Francisco … always get a window seat! The third one was created on the beach in Fort Lauderdale FL.
Below is a little blurb on the subject …
thanks,
Bobbi
Plein air, the iPad, and You
What does new technology mean for the traditional plein air painter, the artist who loves to set out for a morning of painting, armed to the teeth with paints and brushes?
We don’t have to stop all that or make too many changes if we want to embrace the new technologies. The iPad can help you become a better traditional artist in many ways.
You won’t always have your paints and brushes with you, but chances are you’ll have your iPhone or iPad. Sometimes the iPad is the only medium that you can turn to.
The iPad can be used for working plein air where traditional mediums would be too cumbersome or simply not allowed. I have used it at concerts and social events. I traveled with it through Eastern Europe, using it in castles and cathedrals. I’ve also used it on buses and airplanes. Do you have a long trip coming up, where you have to travel light and traditional art supplies are out of the question?
When you return to the studio, you will have unlimited information with you. Color studies, sketches, concepts and much more will be on your iPad, the sketchbook on steroids.
Also this Spring:
Painting with Pixels with Nancy Freeman: a nine-week course covering both Apple and Android apps
Photoshop Workshop with Alison Duvall: a four-day workshop on Adobe Workshop Creative Cloud
For this year’s Student/Faculty Show, fiber arts instructor Renate Maile-Moskowitz and her students in the “Felting: Expanding the Possibilities” class outfitted this fashionable model in a collaboration they titled “Rhapsody of Blues.” In addition to wet felting and nuno felting, these pieces incorporate techniques like hand-dyeing and millinery — see below for the key.
bee by Lisa Walsh
hat by Margaret Cerutti (merino wool, dyed silk, feathers — click for detail), collar by Renate Maile-Moskowitz
necklace choker by Dominique Cooper
scissors holder with pin cushion by Renate Maile-Moskowitz (at right)
stretch bracelet by Renate Maile-Moskowitz
“Vest to Dye For” by Ioana Razi (devore silk, nuno felted), wrap belt by Marian Bruno (on top, dark blue), peplum belt with ruffle by Laura Linton (click for detail)
elongated bead bracelet by Marian Bruno, button bag by Renate Maile-Moskowitz (click for detail)
Pretoria by Donald McCarten, oil on canvas, 48″ x 64″
Just a quick reminder for our artists that receiving for ColorField, the March exhibit, is Monday and Tuesday, March 10 and 11, not the first Monday and Tuesday of the month as usual. That’s because the special 15th Biennial Ikebana Exhibit is March 6–9!
Evelyn Turner Memorial Award ($150): Established in 2007, this award honors former Torpedo Factory artist Evelyn Turner and is given for outstanding abstract work.
Adam Wishnow Memorial Awardfor Creativity and Innovation ($150): This award is in honor of Adam Wishnow and is given to an artist who shows new direction or voice in a work.
Best of the Rest Award ($150): For the best piece not necessarily related to the theme.
Was your artist statement written in a rush to meet an application deadline, and hasn’t been updated since? Or something you settled for after hours agonizing over the keyboard and a thesaurus — an artist statement that makes a thud instead of, well, a statement?
Nothing tells the story of your art better than the art itself. But your website, CV, and countless applications all require you to translate your visual statements into words and make a powerful first impression — sometimes even before the reader looks at your art. That’s always a challenge.
To help you conquer it once and for all, The Art League and writing coach David Hazard present a free workshop:
Art*iculation with David Hazard
Saturday, March 22, 2014
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Hazard is a professional writing coach and publishing consultant who has worked with artists for more than 25 years, helping them to communicate more effectively. This workshop is free to Art League members.
This is a workshop we’ve presented a few times before, and we keep bringing it back because our members find it helpful. But space is limited, so please register online here or by calling 703-683-1780. And we’ll see you March 22!
Nada Abizaid’s untitled ceramic artwork won the Dennis Davis Award for Pottery. (click for full size image)
This year’s Student/Faculty Show (open through Sunday) includes a strong showing from The Art League’s ceramics department: mugs, cups, plates, jars, jugs, and even a bird house. The Student Show’s judge chose one piece to recognize with the Dennis Davis Award for Pottery: the untitled piece above by Nada Abizaid, a student in Blair Meerfeld’s ceramics class. We asked the artist, a graphic designer during the day, about taking classes and creating this piece.
Why did you choose this piece to submit for the student show?
Nada Abizaid: I have been working on sculptural container forms for the past year. I felt that in this piece the organic quality blends in with the sculptural form in an interesting way. Also, it stands well on its own as opposed to needing to be part of an installation. The requirement for this show was to submit one piece, and this was the right one for me.
What techniques, lessons, principles, etc. from your ceramics class can we see in this piece?
This is a hand built piece, using a slab of clay for the base and the coiling technique for the rest of the body. The coils are blended together and smoothed. Concepts learned in the class such as the right timing for each step in the building process, the texturing of the piece, drying it adequately, the application of slip and glazing are all important components of the process.
For people unfamiliar with ceramics, what was the process to create this, from start to finish? How did you achieve the finished glaze?
Using the clay provided in class a slab of clay was rolled. An oval was cut out of the clay slab and used as the base. Coils of identical thickness were then hand rolled and superimposed to form the walls, bearing in mind the final shape of the piece. The inner and outer surfaces of the coils were gradually blended and smoothed. The outer surface was then shaped using several tools. Once the piece reached a leather hard dryness, thick black slip (liquid clay) was applied to the surface. The piece was bisque fired (first firing). It was then glazed, and part of the glaze applied to the piece was scraped off leaving it partially glazed. It then went through a second and final firing.
Other examples of Nada Abizaid’s work. Photo by the artist.
What was your goal with this piece?
My goal was to create a piece that had organic qualities but yet uses scale and exaggerated proportions as its conceptual tools. The sculptural container I created has elements that allude to nature particularly in the way it is textured and finished, but its concept is deliberately planned.
Why ceramics? Have you worked in other media as well?
I am a graphic designer by training. As a graphic designer you mostly design for a client that has specific needs and goals, and you have to keep in mind the parameters that would make your design project successful during the design process, which can sometimes limit your creativity. Also, you often rely on external sources such as a printing company for the completion of your project. Whereas in ceramics, unless it is a commissioned piece, you have the luxury of creating art for art’s sake with endless possibilities. This often allows you to modify your piece as you shape it and finish it. You create a piece from beginning to end with your own hands; it is extremely fulfilling.
What are you working on now? Are you taking any classes or planning on taking more?
I am working on pieces that have a similar feel to the one in this show. I have been taking Blair Meerfeld‘s ceramics class for several years now and plan on continuing to do so. Blair has been a tremendous inspiration and a great teacher. He has encouraged me to push every concept I was interested in exploring further until I ended up with a piece that fully expressed the concept. This is how we both felt about this piece.
If you’ve visited the Student/Faculty Show (and if you haven’t, time’s running out!), you’ve noticed there was something pretty important missing from the walls — where are all the kids and teenage artists?
They aren’t forgotten! Our slate of youth and teen classes is well-represented in an exhibit just upstairs from the Gallery, on the second floor of the Torpedo Factory. Spring classes start in April, and Art Camp starts in June. We offer a lot more than we can fit in this exhibit, including ceramics, jewelry, and photography, so be sure to check out the catalog at the links above.
Like the downstairs show, this one only up through Sunday, so catch it while you can!
From Drawing and Painting (ages 9–12) with Karen Day.From Drawing and Painting (ages 9–12) with Karen Day.From Creative Painting and Drawing for Teens with Karen Day.From Basic Drawing for Young People (ages 9–13) with Marcia Madison.From Drawing and Painting (ages 9–12) with Karen Day.Mixed-media portraits from Art-fundamentals (ages 5–8) with Jennifer Yamane.From Art Fun-damentals (ages 5–8) with Joann Liu.From Drawing and Painting (ages 9–12) with Karen Day.
Receiving: March 3 and 4. All area artists can enter this exhibit at Del Ray Artisans. Artists are invited to create portraits of politicians, pundits and other well-known people. All media art is accepted in this show, from traditional portraits and sculptures, to your own lampoons and caricatures. More about the exhibit (PDF) →
#WeTweetArt 2.0
Installation: March 9. artdc is revisiting this unique social media-connected exhibit with an open call for DC-area artists. Artists install one work each (see details for size restrictions) and discuss and share the exhibit online. The artists must be on Twitter and they all must tweet @artdc about their work in the exhibition. More about the exhibit →
ColorField
Receiving: March 10 and 11. This is The Art League’s second exhibit in our 60th anniversary series celebrating art movements of the past six decades. Artists should use the artists of the Washington Color School as inspiration, though works do not need to be abstract. Please note that receiving dates are one week later than the usual time due to the biennial Ikebana exhibit. More about the exhibit →
Portrait competition
Deadline: April 1. ArtFields is proud to present the second annual ArtFields Portrait Contest on Saturday, May 3, 2014 from 10 AM-3 PM at The Bean Market in Lake City, SC. Twenty-four artists will have the opportunity to compete for “Best in Show” and a $1,000 cash prize by creating portraits of local farmers who will serve as models for the event. Artists at all levels from the 12 Southeastern states (AL, AK, GA, FL, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) are eligible to participate. More about the competition →
Virginia artists
Deadline: May 16. Virginia residents 18 and over are invited to submit to a juried art show presented by the Bay School Community Arts Center in Mathews, Virginia. Over $3,000 in prizes are available. More about the exhibit → (link updated 2/26)
Reflections by Milton Shinberg won the Potomac Valley Watercolorists Award in the Student/Faculty Show. (view full size)
We love the Student/Faculty Show here at The Art League because it’s our best chance to share what happens in our classrooms with the public. Students love it because they get to show off all their hard work. And visitors love it because they get to learn about our classes and see our faculty’s latest pieces.
To illustrate that point: Milton Shinberg’s watercolor painting above, Reflections, started out upside down. It was part of an exercise in Peter Ulrich’s class, The Watercolor Experience. Reflections was recognized with the the Potomac Valley Watercolorists Award in this month’s exhibit, open through this Sunday. Here’s our Q&A with the artist:
Why did you choose this piece to submit for the student show?
Milton Shinberg: I’ve accumulated quite a few paintings since starting three years ago, but from the last year in particular, this one has kept my interest especially. I actually put five paintings up on the mantel and asked my wife to help me pick one. We came up with the same answer. I liked the reflections and I liked the process that resulted in them.
What techniques, lessons, principles, etc. from your watercolor class can we see in this painting?
It all derives from the way Peter Ulrich structured the class that day. He asked us to drop any preconception for starting a new painting, and instead fairly quickly paint something non-figurative, abstract, compositionally interesting. Afterwards, he asked us to look at it different ways, perhaps rotating the image, until an idea came to mind for taking it further.
In my case, I turned it upside down and saw the outline of a scene around a small lake or pond, using the verticals as the beginnings for trees. I continued with that imaginary landscape.
The underpainting side-by-side with the (upside-down) finished painting.
People say watercolor is unforgiving, which just means you have to enjoy risk and accident. I’m trying to get there.
Why watercolor? Have you worked in other media as well?
I started drawing quite a while ago, about 60 years ago, and became an architect. I’ve enjoyed drawing, and have used pen, pencil and charcoal, but never “confronted” the challenge of watercolor painting.
For some reason, after some months of working on photographic images from a trip to India, that was the right time. A number of those photographs, with some digital assistance, actually took on some “painterly” qualities. I was looking for a way to approach that more directly, and something that I imagined required being much looser in my approach.
No surprise: I had a lot to learn, and I’ve had terrific teachers at the Art League to help me move forward. It turns out that “looser” doesn’t quite capture the idea.
What are you working on now? Are you taking any classes or planning on taking more?
I have a project in mind at my home, a large panel, probably an image from Tuscany, that can’t be done in watercolors. I thought acrylics might work, but have never done that. I’m currently taking a great class with Matt Pinney.
I’ve found that acrylics are not such a dramatic break from watercolors as I had expected. Painting seems to me to be more about painting than medium, although the techniques certainly differ with each. People say watercolor is unforgiving, which just means you have to enjoy risk and accident. I’m trying to get there.
2-D work by students at The Art League.Foreground: The steel-and-wood Girl Power Bench by Tracy Maguire, who took Donna Reinsel’s class, Metal Sculpture. Girl Power Bench was one of the Equal Merit Award winners.
One of this blog’s most revisited themes is that, whatever your passion and wherever your skill level is, there’s some class at The Art League where you can make something to be proud of.
But sometimes seeing is more convincing than reading, so if you don’t believe us, get down to this year’s Student/Faculty Show, and do it soon — it closes March 2! (We’ll have a closing reception at 2:00 pm, including refreshments.)
The Student/Faculty show is an annual exhibit, and it’s our way of showing off what our students and instructors at The Art League School can do. When you see something that makes you say “Wow, I want to learn how to do that,” just take a look at the tag and you’ll see the class it was made in, along with the instructor’s name.
Join us Sunday, March 2 for the closing reception, and invite your friends to come see! Photos of the award winners and the more of the exhibit are below:
Faculty work by painting, drawing, ceramics, and fiber arts instructors.From Jimmy Powers’s Stained Glass students: Wheel of Fire, top, by Ann Abercrombie, and Fabric of Life by Nicole Mahoney.
This untitled painting by Michelle Simoneau won the Jennie Lea Knight Award. Michelle was a student in Beverly Ryan’s class, Abstract in Oil or Acrylic.This untitled piece by Nada Abizaid won the Dennis Davis Award. Nada was a student in Blair Meerfeld’s ceramics class.Reflections by Milton Shinberg won the Potomac Valley Watercolorists Award. Milton was a student in Peter Ulrich’s watercolor class.Sculptures by Art League students.Games People Play by Ellen V. Krieger, who took Nick Barnes’s Silver Jewelry class.Student work.Student work.Faculty work.Faculty work.
See below for details on upcoming exhibits, residencies, and more. You can click here for past opportunities posts. Good luck!
One-night exhibit
Deadline: February 21. The Howard University Alumni Club of Greater Washington DC (HUAC-GWDC) will host The Art of Interpretation, a one-night art exhibit and fundraiser of which a portion of the proceeds from the ticket and art sales will go to benefit the HUAC-GWDC student scholarship and club program. Submission is open to artists in the DC metro region. More about the exhibit →
Photography awards
Deadline: March 12. The 19th Annual International CENTER Awards, Grants and Reviews are designed to bring exposure to outstanding photographers by providing financial support and professional development opportunities to committed photographers. More about the awards →
Torpedo Factory annual jury
Receiving: March 24. (Information session: Sunday, February 23, 2:00–3:00 pm in Studio 31.) Artists must go through the annual jury process and orientation session to become a member of the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association (TFAA). All artists working in fine arts and fine crafts are eligible. More about the jury process →
Philadelphia Craft Show
Deadline: April 1. The 38th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, a juried exhibition and retail sale, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 6 to 9, 2014, with a Preview Party on November 5. The jury will accept 195 craft artists. More about the show →
Open photography exhibition
Deadline: April 9. In July 2014, Aperture Foundation will mount its first Aperture Summer Open, an open-submission exhibition for which all image-makers are eligible. The theme of the first Summer Open is photography itself. New work may be entered in any genre, by any author, whether established or aspiring, professional or enthusiast, young or old. The photographs to be exhibited will be selected by Aperture’s executive director, Chris Boot. More about the exhibit →
Exhibit proposals: Bethesda
Deadline: ongoing. River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation (RRUUC) in Bethesda, Maryland invites proposals for exhibits to be displayed in the gallery of its Fellowship Hall. The gallery is 42 by 43 feet, with one full wall of windows. Two walls are available for hanging art with approximately 60 feet of wall space. Exhibits are about six weeks in duration. Proposals are welcome year round from individuals or groups, with rolling acceptances. There is no entry fee. RRUUC charges a commission of 20% on work sold. More on exhibiting at RRUUC →
Excitement was in the air last night, along with cheers, groans, and occasional boos: all signs for anyone in the vicinity of Old Town that it was Patrons’ Show Fundraiser night.
And thanks once again to our amazingly generous artist donors, a huge team of dedicated volunteers, and the support of all of our patrons and sponsors, this year’s fundraiser was another hit! The money raised from this year’s fundraiser supports The Art League’s mission of supporting the artist and enriching the community through outreach programs like IMPART, SOHO, and the Geri Gordon Scholarship Fund.
After days of making lists and checking them twice, 683 pieces of donated artwork (including some pairs, diptychs, and triptychs) went home with this year’s ticketholders, including these five award-winning pieces:
Reflections in Silence: After the Storm by Nancy Pane Fortwengler won the Geri Gordon First Choice Raffle Award.11th St #12 by Art League instructor Mike Francis won the Clemente Family Award for the artwork chosen first in the drawing, the Halt, Buzas & Powell Popular Vote Award chosen by patrons, and one of the Marian Van Landingham Awards chosen by this year’s judge, Marian Van Landingham.Large Platter by David Flohr was selected by the judge for one of the Marian Van Landingham Awards.Motley Mountain by Frances Solo was selected by the judge for one of the Marian Van Landingham Awards.Sunrise Stemware by Art League instructor Nancy Freeman was selected by the judge for one of the Marian Van Landingham Awards.
Thank you again to all the people who made this year’s fundraiser successful! You can sign up for our email list here, if you haven’t already, to get news about next year’s ticket sales. More photos are below:
Emcee John Milewski announced his 20th and final Patrons’ Show Fundraiser.
Patrons waiting in the check-out line with their picks.At the after-auction, any remaining artwork is auctioned off to the patrons who stick around.
Registration is now open for Art Camp 2014 at The Art League! For a full list of classes and to register online, click here. Here are the details:
Art Camps run Monday to Friday, each week from June 16 to August 22
Camps are available for ages 5-15 and take place in the morning, afternoon, or all day (for Basic Art Camp)
Subjects include: drawing, cartooning, painting, photography, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, fiber arts, clay animation, and Basic Art Camp (a new medium each day)
Camps range in price from $135 to $345
What do we make in Art Camp?
Whether in Basic Art Camp or one of our focused art camps, there’s always a new project to explore. Projects change every year — here are some Art Campers with their creations from 2013.
Was your artist statement written in a rush to meet an application deadline, and hasn’t been updated since? Or something you settled for after hours agonizing over the keyboard and a thesaurus — an artist statement that makes a thud instead of, well, a statement?
Art Camps for ages 5 to 15 start June 16
